Book 1: Youth of Delarn

Chapter 29: Your Stepmother

Delarn didn't know what to do after she took everything in. She had quickly retreated to her room. She supposed it was only hers now that Solene was dead.

She felt her heart beating harder and harder as she realized it wasn't such a good idea to come back here. What business did she have living in this house if Solene was dead? She was sitting on the bed, her head bowed and supported by her hands on her knees, and it was harder to stand than she thought it'd be. She couldn't sort if it upset her because her friend was dead, because he pushed her to kill him, or because she didn't think she belonged her anymore.

She finally stood and got her bag, trying to decide what to take. How many clothes could she afford? She knew they would take up a lot of room, but she didn't think she owned much than she was wearing. She felt she could at least take one extra set so there would always be a set to wear while she was washing the other. She worried her life would be an endless cycle of changing and cleaning clothes, but then she considered it really wouldn't take that long to clean one set of clothes.

As she was folding and putting her other best shirt into her bag, she felt nails dig into her forearm. She looked into the face of Solene's mom and felt ill.

When she said nothing, Delarn said breathlessly, "hello?" Her skin itched like ants as she continued to dig her nails into her flesh.

"Did you think you could just walk out without so much as telling me you killed my son?" She asked, her voice nothing but venom.

"I didn't have a choice," she said. "He was going to hurt me. He didn't give me any room for a choice."

She felt a sharp stab of doubt. He hadn't intended to kill her, even if what he actually intended was awful, while she didn't hesitate to kill him.

"Well then, Delarn," she said, her voice sickly sweet, "why didn't you just say that? I would have understood."

Delarn was shaking her head, licking her lips and bracing herself, but was hardly prepared as Solene's mother wrapped her hand around her neck and slammed her down on the bed. Delarn cried hoarsely and tried to kick her off, but the woman planted a knee on one leg and stayed clear of the other as she forced Delarn down.

Her face was inches away as she hissed, "Whatever you think you're doing, you better not think you can get away from here or leave. No matter where you go, we will find you, and I will personally make sure you pay. Did you think you could hide what you did to my son from me? I don't care why you killed him. You better believe you're mine now."

Delarn didn't answer, struggling ineffectually, but she could feel her move a hand to the center of her back and the other rested on the back of her leg. The woman pushed down lightly at first, but each second she put on more and more pressure and Delarn felt pain shoot through her back until it was blinding and the blurred wall turned into growing shadows. Once she finally stopped squirming, the woman eased up, but only a little.

"Do you understand? Are you completely aware of the situation you're in?"

She felt her pushing down again, her nails probing her skin through her shirt, and she nodded frantically. She wasn't sure it would matter because she was almost sure she was going to kill her now that she was pinned under her. She couldn't imagine it going any other way, so it surprised her when the woman offered her hand to help her up. She was hesitant to take it, but didn't want to feel her nails sinking into her skin again.

"Now, my dear Delarn, put your things up. I want you to come with me to the training grounds, and if you take too long to come out I'm going to come back in, and we're going to have another talk."

Delarn nodded, taking what she could back out of her bag and leaving most of it on the bed before going to follow her. The woman gave her a predatory smile and took her arm, so she walked alongside her. She opened the hatch and pushed her down. She barely bent her knees enough as she hit the stone below before Solene's mother landed beside her.